Alpharetta, Ga.-based Surgical Information Systems outlined the top ASC successes from the past year, as well as the most exciting opportunities for the future. The insights were based on interviews with Ambulatory Surgery Center Association experts.
The key details to know:
1. Medicare 2019 Payment Final Rule. Medicare-certified ASCs should note CMS' final rule means the hospital market basket will be used for the first time to update ASC payments. In the past, CMS used the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. CMS also dropped the threshold for device-intensive procedures from 40 percent to 30 percent, and recognized codes that meet the definition of surgery could fall outside the typical surgical range of codes.
2. ASC Payment Transparency Act. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the ASC Payment Transparency Act in summer 2018 , which would have added an ASC industry representative to CMS' Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment. However, the act did not pass in the U.S. Senate. However, ASCs have the ability on the momentum in 2019.
3. What to watch for in 2019. ASCs should keep an eye on 2019 changes made to the ASC Quality Reporting program to ensure they're in compliance. These changes include emergency preparedness requirements, the healthcare influenza vaccination measure and claims-based outcome measures.